it's always better when we're together
by IHEARTFINCHEL
Summary: A series of Finchel drabbles and one-shots. Dedicated to Cory. [Disclaimer] I do not own Glee or any of these characters.
1. i baby girl hudson

**I figured we could all use some happy Finchel, so I've decided to write a series of drabbles and one-shots. Some will be canon and some AU. This story is obviously dedicated to Cory; I'll love you forever, Frankenteen.**

**[Disclaimer] I do not own Glee or the title, which comes from the song 'Better Together' by Jack Johnson.**

His eyes were fixated on the little pink bundle on the other side of the glass. He hadn't moved for at least ten minutes – he couldn't. He couldn't take his eyes of the thing he'd made, the precious little thing that was half him, half Rachel. She was beautiful, as expected – she was totally her mother's daughter – and he found himself entranced by the small rise and fall of her chest, the little brown tufts of hair on her head, her nose – Rachel's nose – and her soft hazel eyes that were all his. He could watch her sleep for hours, his gorgeous baby girl; was that weird? He didn't care, she was his daughter, he could watch his daughter sleep if he wanted to. And he did, so.

Honestly, his _daughter_. It still sounded crazy. She'd been in his life a little over an hour, but he still couldn't believe it. He had a child now, a real life person that he was a father to. His breath caught in his throat at the thought. He hoped he'd be a good father because no matter what Rachel told him, he still had insecurities. He'd never had a father growing up, not until Burt came onto the scene and married his mother. He was nervous about screwing up, about hurting her, or something. His family had reassured him over and over during the nine months leading up to where he was stood now that he would be an amazing parent and that his kid would be lucky to have him; he wasn't quite so sure, though. He'd never really been around babies before. And those baby books didn't prepare you for the real thing. What if he dropped her? What if-."

"Mr Hudson?" The nurses voice from behind him snapped him out of his thoughts. Reluctantly, he tore his eyes away from his daughter, and faced the nurse who was standing at the door with a friendly smile on her face. "Baby girl Hudson is ready to be fed. You want to bring her to Mommy?"

"Y-Yeah, um. I'm alright carrying her, r-right? I won't drop her, will I? Don't let me drop her. Rach will _murder_ me."

"You won't drop her, Mr Hudson," She replied, amused. She disappeared into the nursery, picking up the baby – his baby – from the crib, and carrying her out into the hallway, to him. She directed him on how to hold her, laughing quietly as his hands shook with nerves.

"Sorry, I'm just-. I don't want to ruin anything. I'm a little nervous. Terrified, actually," He said honestly. "Are all first time dads like this?"

"A lot of them. They're all fine though when they forget their nerves and just_ relax_," She prompted him. He sighed, nodded slightly. The nurse smiled at him as she placed her into his awaiting arms. At first his grip was tight, but after a pointed look from the nurse, he relaxed his hold slightly. He glanced down at his perfect girl for a moment, sleeping peacefully in his arms. She looked kind of serene, happy, he thought. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard.

Finn followed the nurse down the hallway and back to Rachel's hospital room where she was currently napping. Finn hated to wake her, but their baby was part him. It wasn't surprising she had a stomach like him and was already hungry.

"Rach? Baby, wake up. You need to feed her," He whispered softly into her ear, pressing a kiss to her lobe. "Rachel, sweetheart, wake up."

Slowly she opened her eyes and immediately smiled upon seeing Finn. "Hi."

"Hey," He grinned. "You ready to feed this one?" He lowered the baby onto Rachel's chest and saw his wife's smile fall, replaced with a look of anxiety.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help you," The nurse said, noticing Rachel's look, too. After a couple of times trying, they managed to get the newest member of the Hudson clan to latch on.

Rachel pulled a face. "This feels _so_ weird…" The nurse replied, saying something about how Rachel would get used to it, Finn wasn't listening though. He was too focused watching his two favourite girls in the entire world. His two tiny Hudson girls. He'd never seen anything so beautiful and adorable in his life.

Eventually, she finished and the nurse left, giving the three of them some time alone for the first time since the addition to their little family. Finn had managed to lie on the bed next to them, his arm wrapped around Rachel, whose arm was wrapped around their baby. Finn couldn't wipe the smile from his face.

"So, what should we name her?" Rachel asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I'm assuming Drizzle is out?" His wife giggled at his silly suggestion, sounding like music to his ears. He adored her laugh. He hoped his baby girl had the same laugh. "What about Ava?"

"Ava Carole Hudson," Rachel mused, the smile on her face brightening. "I really like it."

"Me too. It's pretty – like her."

"What do you think, Ava Carole?" She asked the baby, adopting a cutesy baby voice that Finn thought was the cutest thing _ever_. "Do you like your name, huh, Ava?"

She blinked and Finn felt tears well in his eyes. Slowly but surely, she opened her eyelids, looking straight at her parents. It was only for a moment, but it was enough for Finn.

"Rach, baby, our daughter is a genius! She opened her eyes when you said her name!" Finn exclaimed, a proud daddy look on his face. "You're such a clever little girl, aren't you Ava?"

"I love the name, Finn," Rachel said, kissing his lips sweetly. "It's perfect."

"Not as perfect as my girls," Finn replied, ever the Prince Charming. Rachel kissed him again and he leaned down to kiss his daughter's forehead, whispering, "I love you so much, beautiful Ava."

And as Finn lay in the hospital room, snuggled up with his wife and his daughter, he realised that maybe he would be able to do it – be a good father, that is. As long as he has his Rachel and his Ava by his side, he can do pretty much anything.

**I really hope you like it, guys. Please review!:)**


	2. ii tony night

Rachel huffed in annoyance as Kurt sent her back to her room to change into another dress. Her brother-in-law/best friend was one of New York's best fashion designers and had tasked himself with dressing the tiny brunette for the prestigious ceremony that evening. As it was a _huge _event that meant a lot to both Rachel and Kurt, he knew her dress had to be flawless, therefore choosing five optional dresses for Rachel to wear. Everything had to be perfect – the dress, the hair, the make-up, Finn's outfit, her acceptance speech.

It was the night of the Tony Awards and Rachel was nominated – and the most popular to win her category, 'Best Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role In A Musical.' Her show was also nominated for best musical, as was the director. Rachel had been playing the lead role of Barbra for a couple of months in a new musical about the star's life. Rachel was a shoe-in for the award. She already had two of them sitting proudly on her mantelpiece, but to win one for her portrayal of Babs? That would be a childhood fantasy come true.

Kurt had decided the laced black dress Rachel was wearing was "_simply fabulous_" and after a few touch-ups by her hair and make-up dream team – Mark and Melanie – she was ready to go.

"Where's Finn?" Rachel asked nervously; she hadn't seen her husband all afternoon.

"Right here."

Rachel turned at the sound of her favourite voice, a smile forming on her face. He looked incredibly handsome in his black tuxedo, which wasn't at all surprising. He always looked handsome. His tie was hanging loose around his neck and Rachel rolled her eyes, he was still unable to do it properly and she always ended up fixing it for him, just like the first time at Sectionals, 2009. She smiled slightly at the memory as she tied it neatly and then smoothed her hands down his chest.

"You look great, baby."

He pressed his lips to her cheek, kissing her chastely, so as to not mess up her make-up and save him from getting yelled at by his surprisingly scary brother. "Thanks, but look at you. How on earth did I get the most beautiful woman in the world to marry _me_?"

Rachel blushed slightly. Even after all their years of marriage and having four kids together, he always made her cheeks pink with his sweet, sweet compliments.

"Also… I got you these." From behind his back, he pulled a huge bouquet of red roses. There must have been at least two-dozen of them.

"_Finn_!" She squealed, accepting the flowers happily and sniffing the flowers, the gorgeous scent she adored so much putting a wider smile on her face. "I can't believe you got me these! It must have cost you a fortune!"

"Only the best for my star," He replied nonchalantly, shrugging a little.

Rachel beamed, her bright Rachel Berry beam that stretched from ear to ear and shined like the star she was. _Two dozen roses_. Honestly. How perfect was her husband? Rachel found herself wondering that very question for the millionth time, asking herself over and over how she got so lucky.

"Are the kids ok?" Rachel questioned, since she hadn't seen them that day, either. Ava, Chris, Sean and Lily were staying with Finn's parents for the night.

"Yeah, excited about their mommy winning another award." He grinned. "As am I."

"It's not certain I'll win…" She told him, genuinely believing it. She had grown a lot since high school and no longer thought of herself as the only star. "They are so many amazing actresses in my category. Any of us could take it."

"Stop being modest, baby. It's not working. You're perfect in that role and you know it – you're totally gonna win. And I'm not just saying it because I'm you're husband, _everybody_ knows it too. All the experts in the industry and everything, so be quiet."

Rachel flushed red, simply kissing her husband in thanks.

"Ready to go? Our car is waiting." When she nodded in response, Finn took her by the hand and led her out of the apartment and out onto the street. Just like a true gentleman, he opened the door for her and helped her into the seat. She smiled sweetly at him as he sat next to her and intertwined their fingers together. Noticing they were shaking slightly, he asked, "nervous, babe?"

"Yeah, yeah I am." _But not for the reason you think_, she silently added.

Fifteen minutes later and the married couple were stepping onto the red carpet, cameras flashing manically in their direction. Rachel took a deep breath before smiling brightly and wrapping her arms around Finn's waist. He pulled her closer to him as they adopted their usual red carpet pose and let the photographers take lots of snaps.

"I still hate these things, you know," Finn said quietly so only she could hear. "All the pictures and stuff. I only do this for you."

"I know, baby, I don't really like it either but it's part of the job, so I kinda have to. And I love you for taking the pictures with me," She finished, looking up at him adoringly, exciting the photographers as they took more and more images of the Broadway star and her husband. Eventually they left the red carpet and entered the grand venue, Rachel gasped, her inner Broadway fanatic coming out as she was surrounded by some of her favourite performers.

"Breathe, Rach," Finn reminded, his tone laced with amusement as he squeezed her hand slightly and guided her to their seats.

Rachel's smile didn't fade for the entirety of the show – she was always _so_ happy on Tony night, even more so when she was nominated. Speaking of her nomination, Rachel's category was up and her nerves returned.

"Break a leg."

"I love you."

It was a tradition, ok?

"And the winner of the Best Actress In A Musical goes to… Rachel Hudson!"

Tears immediately filled her eyes as her name was announced and Finn pulled her up for a tight hug and a kiss. Once he reluctantly let her go, Rachel made her way down to the stage to collect her award.

"Wow, thank you so much. I- I'm kind of speechless right now, which for anybody who knows me is incredibly shocking." The audience laughed. "I want to thank my director, Mark, you were amazing and I wouldn't be standing here without you, I want to thank my castmates, my friends and family, my husband and my five children for always supporting me. Winning a Tony was a lifelong dream of mine, and now I have three! I'm truly amazed. Thank you once again!"

"Five kids?" Finn asked once she returned to her seat, confused. "Baby, we only have four."

Rachel simply grinned at him, waiting for the ball to drop. She put her hands on her lower abdomen when he was still confused minutes later, "Finn, I'm pregnant."

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	3. iii thunderstorms

Leroy sighed, hearing his daughter's loud cries and screams from the room next door. The thunder cracked furiously from outside, increasing the volume of his one-year-old's screams. Throwing back the bed covers, Leroy hurriedly put on some shorts and rushed into the next bedroom.

"I'm here, Rachie. Daddy's here, baby girl, daddy's here," he murmured comfortingly, switching on the light. He reached into her crib, lifting her out and into his arms. His hold on her tightened as another loud rumble of thunder frightened his daughter. Together, they went into Leroy and his husband's bedroom, Rachel crying her eyes out, her face crumpled and red, Leroy soothingly rubbing his hand up and down her back in an attempt to calm her. Lima had been having a large number of storms and it was the fifth night that week his daughter had woke him with her terrified cries. Each night he'd brought her into his and Hiram's bed, cuddling and kissing her until she felt safe enough to sleep. That night was no different.

"Baby?" Hiram mumbled groggily, still half asleep, (he was a much deeper sleeper than his husband and was not woken so easily.) "She okay?"

"She will be," he replied, settling the squirming little girl between their two bodies. "I think she just wants to be with her daddies tonight."

"Okay." His husband yawned. Directing it towards his little girl, he whispered, "are you afraid of the storms, baby? Are they scary?"

"Ye, ye, scawy," she said, unable to say her 'r's.

"Me and daddy will protect you, sweetheart," Leroy promised, his arm curling around his husband's waist and bringing the two most important people in his life closer to him. "We'll protect you. Don't be scared, Rachie. Don't be scared." He gently kissed her forehead, stroking her cheek until she eventually drifted of to sleep. "There's nothing to be scared of," he whispered to himself, he himself anxious at the ruckus in the sky. "It's just a thunderstorm."

* * *

Rachel winced, shutting her eyes tightly and covering her ears, muffling the thunder so it didn't seem quite so scary. She was six-years-old and at her first ever sleepover; she was staying the night at Tina's house - a shy girl from school who secretly loved to sing, just like Rachel. They'd been watching their favourite Disney movies (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, the usual favourites for little girls), and Rachel had been confidently singing along. "Daddy says I'm a better singer than the Princesses in the movies," she had proudly boasted. "He says I'm going to be a star one day." But her confidence had dissipated when the two girls went to bed and lightening had flashed through the sky.

"I'm scared, Rachel," Tina admitted frightfully, her eyes also squeezed tightly shut. "I hate thunderstorms. They're worse than the evil queen."

Rachel nodded, agreeing on that fact. The evil queen in the Snow White movie had been very scary, (she'd had to hide her eyes behind a pillow at the scene where she gives Snow White the poisoned apple), but this thunderstorm was definitely scarier, and she wasn't even with her daddies to cuddle them!

"I know," Rachel said, an idea popping into her head. "Let's make a fort out of pillows and blankets. It will protect us from the thunderstorm!"

"Good idea!" Tina grinned, scrambling to get the supplies from the closet.

Ten minutes later, the two girls were lying under the safety of five Disney Princess blankets, two duvets, and lots and lots of pink and purple pillows. They finally felt safe and the two friends quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Finn cursed under his breath as his park date with Rachel was abruptly ruined by a downpour of heavy rain. It had been a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon and the young couple had decided to stroll through Central Park, (they'd moved to New York together that fall for college - Rachel at NYADA, Finn at NYU), when suddenly the skies opened and within minutes the rain was dancing down. Rachel's hold on Finn tightened as they dashed for cover. She knew what was coming, she could feel it in the air; there was about to be a thunderstorm. And she was outside. What if she got struck by lightning? What if Finn got struck by lightning? What if they both died and therefore never got to live their lives together, or get married, or have four children - two girls, two boys - together?

"You okay, babe?" Finn asked, noticing his girlfriend looked more than worried. He wrapped his arm around her as they stood underneath a tree, (it wasn't the safest cover, but it was all they had), and pulled her close to his body. Rachel rested her head against his chest and let the feeling of him holding her relieve her anxiety.

"I'm just... a little bit... afraid." She didn't look up at him as she spoke, too embarrassed to do so, after all, aren't kids the only ones scared of thunderstorms? "I know it's not normal for Rachel Berry to be afraid, so don't even say anything, Mr. It's a fear I've had since I was a baby and it's never gone away." Rachel felt tears well in her eyes as she heard a loud rumble of thunder close by. "I'm really scared, Finny."

"I know, baby," Finn replied, kissing her lips softly. "But hey, I'm here and would I let anything hurt you?"

"No," Rachel said grudgingly, because she knew he wouldn't. "You don't really have much control over this though-"

He cut her off with a kiss. "Whenever you get scared of a thunderstorm, pretend it's just me up there, banging on my drums."

Rachel looked up at him, a smile forming on her face.

"Me playing the drums isn't scary, is it?"

"No," Rachel shook her head. "No, it's not scary. I'd describe it more like sexy."

"Oh really, Miss Berry?" He smirked, pleased he'd cheered her up. He was also pleased at the direction their conversation had taken. Just a little bit.

"Oh really, Mr Hudson. It's very sexy. That drum face..." Her cheeks pinked.

"Let's go home. Like, right now." He grabbed her hand and made a run for the nearest taxi, Rachel giggling loudly behind him, her fears totally forgotten.

* * *

Rachel Hudson stared out of the window at the rain pouring down. It was very dark outside - it was the early hours of the morning - and she couldn't see much, except for when the strikes of lightning illuminated the sky. The mother-to-be had been woken by the loud storm and was sat on their window seat, wrapped in many blankets to keep her warm.

Thunder roared through the sky, causing her to shudder. At the same moment she felt a kick against her stomach - baby was scared, too.

Rachel placed her hands protectively over the bump, silently willing the baby to stay calm and not use her insides as a punching bag.

"You're perfectly safe in there, little man/lady." They still didn't know the sex of their child, and as the Hudson's had decided early on in Rachel's pregnancy, it would stay that way. They wanted it to be a surprise. "Mommy's taking good care of you. Go to sleep, baby."

"Daddy could say the same thing to Mommy."

Rachel swivelled her head to see her husband sat up in their bed, wide awake with a concerned expression on his face.

"What are you doing, babe?"

"Watching the storm," she said simply, looking back at the window as the water trailed down the glass, the droplets in a race with each other to get to the bottom. "The thunder woke me and baby started kicking up a storm, excuse the expression. I couldn't get back to sleep after that and so here I am!"

"Come back to bed, Rach."

"I'm fine here."

"No, you're not," Finn argued. "Come back to bed. I want Rach and baby cuddles."

Rachel, unable to refuse that, eased herself up from the seat, and made her way to their bed, crawling over to Finn. She moulded her body to his and he placed his hands on her large belly, drawing patterns of circles and hearts and slowly lulling his wife to sleep.

"Thank you, Finn. Love you," she murmured sleepily, her eyes shut.

"I love you too, Rach." He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to her hair. "Sweet dreams, baby, sweet dreams."

* * *

"Mommy? Daddy?" Abby, the littlest Hudson, whispered, appearing in the doorway of Finn and Rachel's bedroom. Lily and Sean, the twins, were already under the covers between their parents and it came as no surprise to the Broadway star and her husband that Abby would be next. All their children were afraid of storms and outside a massive one was brewing.

"Come on in, baby girl." Finn held out his arms and the toddler waddled into them. He lifted her so she was lying on top of his body and kissed her cheek. "Were you scared of the storm, Abs?"

"Yes. Scawy storm. Vewy scawy." Finn nodded, squeezing her sides. "Sleep now, daddy. Go sleep."

Finn had to hold in a chuckle when a few minutes later, Ava and Chris were in their bedroom wrapped in blankets. They too squeezed onto the bed.

"I blame you for this, Berry," Finn teased lightly, even though she hadn't been a Berry for many, many years. "Our bed has been taken over by five mini Rachels."

"There's nothing wrong with five Rachels," his wife huffed under her breath, to his amusement. "And it's my father's fault. He was scared of thunderstorms first."

"Suuure, keep telling yourself that." Rachel reached other their children and playfully slapped his arm, giggling despite herself. The mood lowered as more thunder could be heard, his entire family practically shaking in fear.

"It's alright guys," Rachel said softly, surprising even him. She had never been 'alright' during a storm. "The thunder is just daddy playing his drums. And daddy's not _that_ scary, is he?" Choruses of "no!" "not at all!" erupted from his children, making him smile.

As Rachel cuddled with her husband and five children, the storm continuing outside, she realised she wasn't scared any more. As long as she was with her six loves of her life, she knew she was safe from any thunderstorm that came her way.

* * *

**review?:)**


	4. iv you're beautiful

**This isn't my favourite... but yeah. I just really wanted to write something like this and I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

"_Finn, you need to get home like __**right now**__,_" Kurt yelled down the phone the second his brother answered it.

"Uh- what?"

"_Rachel's upset. Heartbroken would describe it better, actually. She hasn't stopped crying since she came home from that audition for that off-Broadway show, but she won't even talk to me and tell me what happened. She needs you."_

Finn, who had begun throwing his belongings into his backpack at the words "Rachel" and "upset", nodded weakly, his heart dropping into his stomach as a million and one horrible situations flew through his head about what could have happened. His voice cracking slightly, he said, "I'll be there as soon as I can, bro. Don't leave her until I get there. Please? I don't want her to be alone…"

"_I don't like what you're insinuating there, Finn Hudson. I would never leave my best friend when she's this upset,_" Kurt huffed, clearly annoyed.

"Tell her I love her lots and I'll see her soon," Finn said, ignoring his brother's previous comment. He zipped up his backpack and hurried out of his office and into his boss'. The man was currently out at a meeting, so Finn quickly scribbled him a note about why he wasn't at work. "Bye Kurt, and, uh, thanks for calling me. I 'ppreciate it." He hung up then, practically sprinting out of the office.

He considered himself incredibly lucky when he caught a cab right outside the building, and silently thanked whoever was up there for that. He shouted his address to the driver, adding "and hurry the hell up, I need to get to my wife". Fifteen minutes later, he was home. He paid the cabbie, tipping him more than normal for getting him to Rachel so fast, and hurried into his apartment building.

He was still trying to catch his breath when he opened his front door and saw his tiny wife curled in a ball on the sofa, her body shaking as she sobbed heavily. Finn's heart broke – watching her so upset always had that effect on him.

"Rachel," he called out, making her look up. He had to smile, despite the situation, as relief flooded her face and the tears flowed – he loved how after all their time together he could still make her feel like that, feel so happy, even when she was having the crappiest of days. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"T-they said I'm n-not p-pre-tty enou-enough," she stuttered, her face crumpling again as she began to cry harder, the simple explanation bringing back the horrible events of earlier that day.

"They _what_?"

* * *

Rachel was beyond excited for her audition. It might not have been for a big Broadway show, but she was still excited. Rachel Hudson née Berry simply loved the stage, whether it was off-Broadway, or the big deal, she was just thrilled to be doing her dream job. All she had been told was to perform a famous musical classic and she had chosen Eponine's 'On My Own'; it was one of her personal favourites and she always nailed that song.

Rachel felt pretty confident as she walked onto the stage, the bright lights shining directly into her eyes. In the front row of the audience were two men, both looking very strict and serious, a woman in an eccentric hat, and another who was already scribbling notes. Rachel beamed at them.

"My name is Rachel Hudson and I will be singing 'On My Own' from Les Miserables."

As the opening notes to the song began, and Rachel started to sing along, her voice was strong and assured, feeling confident she'd get called back, at least. So she was shocked when one of the women, Rachel guessed the producer, interrupted her performance midway through, her brow furrowed.

"That's all we need to hear, thanks Rachel," she told her. "You're an excellent singer… But I'm afraid we have some bad news… I don't really know how to put this, but…"

"You don't have the right look," one of the stern men said bluntly, cutting off the woman next to him, who scowled in his direction for being so rude.

"I don't understand what you mean," Rachel asked, slightly confused. She tried to be optimistic, but she could already feel her heart sinking at her presumptions.

"You're not pretty enough," he said again, his tone harsh. "Your body is lumpy in areas, you're way too short, and don't even get me started on that nose of yours."

Rachel gasped, tears pooling in her eyes. "…What?"

"If you want _any_ chance at a Broadway career," he continued as if he hadn't even heard her. "You will get a nose job." Rachel's sharp intake of breath echoed around the small-ish theatre and at least the other three adults looked sympathetic. "Your voice is stunning, but unfortunately your facial features really let you down. We're looking for a leading lady who is beautiful and every girl dreams of looking like. You don't fit the bill. I'm sorry but this is the business you're in now. You have to deal with the facts; I won't be the last one to say this."

"Yes, um, now if you don't mind, please could you leave our stage?" The eccentric woman said rather awkwardly, an uncomfortable look on her face as she watched the young woman before her begin to cry heavily. "We have others to see."

Rachel weakly nodded her head, muttering a quick, "thanks" before slumping off stage, her heart breaking into a billion pieces. This wasn't the first time she had been insulted because of her unique looks, (high school had been absolute _hell_), but this was definitely the most painful. As she stood backstage sobbing, she heard one of the women screech, "_how could you be so rude about it? Did you see the poor girl's face?_" and, "_oh come on, you were thinking the exact same thing! She doesn't have that look every leading lady should have._"

* * *

"Idiots," Finn hissed under his breath once she had finished retelling the story. "Absolute idiots." He had was genuinely considering going to that theatre and giving them a piece of his mind. How dare they say his wife wasn't pretty enough? _How dare they?_

"E-excuse me a minute…" she croaked, getting off the sofa. "I need to call my doctor."

"What for?" Finn asked. And then, as realisation set in, his face hardened… because _seriously?_ "No."

"Finn this isn't up to you, this is my career; _my dream!_"

"No," his voice was strong, scaring Rachel slightly. He'd never spoken to her like that before. He'd never sounded so angry when speaking to her, not even during the terrible break-up of junior year. "You are not getting a nose job."

"I need one to make me pretty!" She cried out. "That director told me if I wanted to be a Broadway leading lady, I would need a nose job and I want Broadway, Finn, I really, really want it."

"Rach, you don't _need _one. You're beautiful!"

"No, I'm not. I've never looked like Quinn or Santana. I don't even know why you married me; I'm ugly. _Ugly, ugly, ugly._"

"Take that back," Finn practically snarled, his heart beat going so fast. "Take that back, Rachel. Don't you even dare…"

"Why _did_ you marry me, Finn?"

"Because you're Rachel Berry – you're talented, kind, so, so caring. You're beautiful, and sexy, _god, so sexy,_ and you make me happier than I've ever been." Rachel's eyes widened, watching him carefully. "I'm so in love with _you_. You've changed yourself before, remember? When you went to celibacy club, and dressed up like a sad clown hooker, and how did that work out? You're perfect exactly the way you are, nose and all. Never, _ever_ believe differently."

Tears were streaming down Rachel's cheeks by the end of his speech, a different kind though, (Finn should know. He's an expert in all things Rachel Berry, including her cries.) "You… You really mean all that?"

"Of course I do, Rach. You're incredible, don't listen to those idiots, okay? You're beautiful, you don't need a nose job. You'll be a star without it and then they'll regret ever saying no to you."

Rachel surged forward and planted a kiss on her husband's lips, so thankful to have such a perfect man love her. "I love you so much, Finn."

"I love you more, baby. I love you more." He hugged her tightly to him and then pulled away, looking deeply into her eyes. "You're beautiful, Rachel Hudson."

* * *

**this chapter was dedicated to martina... i hope it made you smile at least a little bit. **

**review?:)**


	5. v i'm forever yours

**I'm sorry this is shorter than usual, I found it so difficult to write... Lots of tears were shed so I'm not sure how good it is, but I really, really hope you like it. **

* * *

Tears filled my eyes as I scrolled through the pictures on my phone, pictures of him, _us_, together, happy, laughing at one of his goofy jokes, kissing under the stars, performing one of our many duets. I ran my finger along his cheek, as if I could actually feel it, but I couldn't, because he was gone. The tears overflowed then, quickly streaming down my own cheeks, never ending tears that left wet tracks down my face, smudging my make-up in the process. My vision became cloudy and my throat tight, it was becoming more and more of a struggle to breathe as I fought for air. I zoomed in on the picture on the screen, a picture of us that I didn't even know he'd taken, it was me lying on my bed, sleeping, and him curled around him with the most adoring look on his face. My eyes were hazing over but I could see that look so clearly, it was the way he always looked at me, as if he was so in love with me, as if I was his world. I closed my eyes then, blocking everything out. I squeezed them tightly shut, but I could still see him. It was as if his face was ingrained inside my eyelids, his beautiful hazel eyes, his cheeky smile, his adorable dimples. I hadn't stopped thinking about him since the news had broke.

* * *

_"No, no, no, no, no," Kurt screamed. He was on the phone with his father, and both Santana and I looked up shocked as he screamed, not expecting that reaction. Had Burt had another heart attack? "Please tell me this is some sick joke. Please."_

_We both waited for a while, watching as Kurt shook his head in tiny motions, tears flowing down his cheeks. He didn't reply, just hung up the phone and turned to us with sad eyes. What the hell had happened?_

_"Rachel…"_

_"What? What's wrong?" I panicked, thinking the worst. But what came from my best friend's mouth was a total shock. _

_"Finn's dead," he said, his voice cracking. _

_And that was the moment my world fell apart._

* * *

I sank to the floor of my apartment, wrapping my arms around my body and wishing they were his, wishing he could hug me, protect me, tell me everything was okay. I never got to see him one last time, never got to say goodbye, tell him I love him more than anything, that I felt the tether, too. I never got to do or say anything I wanted. I wanted to apologise, the guilt from the past months eating me up inside, I wanted to kiss him and never stop, I wanted him. I couldn't believe he was dead, I couldn't, it felt like some unreal nightmare, a truly horrifying nightmare that I wanted nothing more to escape from, but I couldn't escape, I was trapped, trapped in this awful reality. I shut my eyes once more, trying to get some sleep that I desperately craved, but my thoughts wouldn't shut up, I couldn't – wouldn't – erase him from my mind. Thoughts of our times together whizzed through my mind, one moment particularly standing out to me.

* * *

_"Break a leg," I said, smiling up at my co-star with a bright Rachel Berry beam. I noted, silently, that he looked very handsome indeed in his fitted black shirt and gold tie and his face… Well. I told my self to snap out of it, they'd be time for that later, and focused on the performance at hand. Finn and I were doing a duet to Faithfully, one of the best love songs ever written, if you ask me. It's so beautiful and romantic and it fits with Mr Schue's theme of Journey._

_"I love you."_

_My head popped up, my eyes widened and my mouth fell open in shock as those three simple words left his mouth. Did Finn Hudson…? Did he just…? He loves…Me? I continued to stare up at him, right into his gorgeous hazel orbs and saw that he was being genuine; he was in love with me. I felt my heart skip a beat, wanting nothing more than to return the sentiment, but Finn walked away, to his starting position and I did the same, figuring our duet was about to start. I glanced back over at him to see him watching me with his perfect half smile. I smiled back._

_"Highway run, into the midnight sun…"_

* * *

"I'm forever yours," I whispered to him, hoping that wherever he was, he would know, understand that. I had made a promise to him that night on that stage, singing that song, that my heart would always be his, faithfully. As I slowly succumbed to sleep, replaying that memory over and over, I realised that no matter what, we would always have those moments in McKinley High School, those duets, those kisses, those three letter words we shared, they would never die, even if Finn had.

* * *

**RIP Cory and Finn. **


End file.
